Picture tape



Oct. 4, 1932. M. BITNER I 1,880,705

PICTURE TAPE Filed April 17. 1950 awuemto'c 35 ker ZS Patented Oct. 4,1932 MARY BITNER, 01's NEWYORK, N. Y.

PICTURE TAPE Application filed April 17,1930. SerialNo. 444,927.

The main object of this invention is to provide an educational toy forchildren and infants in the form of a tape which may be run out of acasing, the face of the tape 5 being provided with entertaining andeducational characters such as pictures, letters of the alphabet or thelike.

The above and other objects Will become apparent from the descriptionbelow in which characters of reference refer to likenamed parts in thedrawing.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Figure 1 is a top plan view of thepicture tape with a portion of the casing and drum broken away toillustrate the re-winding mechanism.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the picture tape takenon line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view through thepicture tape taken at right angles to the section illustrated in Figure2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the 25 numerals 10 and 11 indicatethe upper and lower faces respectively of a casing. These faces have arim 12 unitary therewith. The rim and the faces form a chamber 13 inwhich the picture tape mechanism is housed. The faces 10 and 11 haveanchored rigidly therein a lung pin 14 which is adapted to be secured instationary position in the casing, the ends of the casing being peenedover on the face plates 10 and 11 as illustrated in Figure 2. Within thechamber 13 revoluble about the king pin 14 is a drum comprising a disc15 and an annular rim 16. One end of a tape 17 is mounted upon the rim16 of the drum. This tape is formed of flexible material, such as clothcovered wire mesh or paper. Parallel divisional lines 18 are formed onone or both faces of the tape and the squares 19 between thesedivisional lines are provided with pictured impressions 20 or letters ofthe alphabet or symmetrical designs such as indicated by numeral 21. Theopposite end of the tape 17 has a finger ring 22 attachedthereto and thetape finds egress from the chamber 13 through a slot 23 formed in therim 12 of the casing, the slot being under surface thereof. The free endof a resilient finger 29 attached to the rim! 12 of "the casing engagesin these depressions 28 ofthe flange and provides a frictional latchingof such proportion as not to permit the passage of the finger ring 22therethrough.

The drum comprising the disc 15 and rim 16 houses a spirally Woundspring 24. The

outerend of said spring is mounted upon a *pin 25 secured to the disc 15of the drum while the opposite end of the spiral spring is rigidlysecured to the king pin 14 through the medium of a rivet Whose head isindicated by the numeral 26.

, 6O Surmounting memberl5 of the drum with in the chamber 13 is anannular flange 27.

This flange is circumferentially corrugated so that depressions 28' areformed on the the circumferentially corrugated surface on means forstopping the movement of the tape 0 at any desired position, An openingis provided in the upper face 10 of the casing and is adapted to receivethe shank 30 of a push button. The end of the shank 30 within thehousing 13 is provided with offset ears 31 which are spaced apart fromeach other and receive therebetween the intermediate portion of thefinger 29.

The device is adapted to serve as an educational and entertaining toyfor very young 0 children. It is constructed in the form of a tapemeasure with the faces of the tape. 17 having impressions of picturesoreducational picture tape is grasped and pulled through the slot 23 inthe rim 12 of the casing. By extending the tape 17 out of said casing,the drum comprising members 15 and 16 is rotated and since this drum isconnected to the outer end of the spirally wound spring 24, the movementof extending the tape also tenses the spiral spring. The tape 17 wouldagain be retracted into the medium of the spiral spring were no latchingmeans provided. A latching means is provided in the form of a resilientfinger 29 Whose free end is adapted to engage in any one of a pluralityof ciroumferentially formed depressions 28 provided on the corrugatedsurface of a flange 27 This finger has the tendency to remain normal inthe position shown in Figure 2 and friotionally engages the corrugatedsurface of the flange and thereby retains said drum flexible in anydesired position. To release the finger 29 from frictional engagementwith the flange 27 of the drum,

the push button 30 is depressed. The oifset I ears 31, being formedunitary with thefshank 30 of the push button and being in engageableposition with the finger 29, depress the latter out of the depressions28 formed in the flange 27 of the device and permit the free rotation ofthe drum in a counter clockwise direction so that the tape ismechanically retracted again into the chamber 13 of the casing.

It is to beonoted that certain, changes may be made in form andconstruction Without he departing from the spirit and scope ofinvention.

I claim:

In a device of the class described, a casing,

a king pin anchored stationary in said casing, a drum rotatable aboutking pin, a tape secured to said drum and wound thereabout, said casinghaving a slot therein, one end of said tape passing through said slot, aspirally wound spring secured to said drum and said king pin, aresilient finger in said casing, a flange surmounting said drum, said.resilient finger frictionally engaging said flange, said flange havingcurved corrugations formedthereon, said finger being adapted toengagesaid corrugations and means for releasing said finger from engagementwith said corrugations.

' In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MARY BITNEB.

